The astrobiological potential of halophilic archaea

Abstract

The universe we know is a hostile place and currently we only know one planet that harbors life: Earth. Most of the extant life on Earth thrives in moderate environmental conditions, however, over the last decades extreme environments have been shown to harbor a great diversity of life. The quest to understand modern life in these extreme environments addresses some of the most profound questions of humankind. How can organisms survive and thrive in these environments and could they withstand other detrimental conditions such as outer space or conditions prevalent on a foreign planet such as Mars? In this presentation, we aim to elucidate the astrobiological potential of halophilic archaea and if there are possible extraterrestrial environments where this group of organisms may be able to survive and thrive.